Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Birth and development of Christianity
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
5th‑grade students of elementary school
I. Ancient civilizations. Pupil:
5) characterizes the most important achievements of the material and spiritual culture of the ancient world in various fields: philosophy, science, law, architecture, art, literature;
6) places in time and space the birth and spread of Christianity.
General aim of education
Students will learn about the emergence of the largest monotheistic religion – Christianity - and the first centuries of its existence.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
where and when Christianity began;
what the fate of the first Christians was;
when Christianity became the official religion of Ancient Rome;
why Christianity has become the greatest monotheist religion in the world.
Methods/techniques
expository
talk.
activating
discussion.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
Students should recall the main concepts of Judaism..
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
Referring to the homework, the teacher asks students, what monotheistic religions they know so far and what are they all characterized by.
Realization
The teacher reminds students about the conquests of the ancient Rome. Among the conquered lands was Palestine, in which ancient Israel was located. It came under the Roman rule in 63 BC and remained there until the division of the Empire in 395. Next, the teacher introduces students to the situation of Jews under the Roman rule.
How was Christianity born? – the teacher starts the discussion by asking the students this question. They should know the story of Jesus of Nazareth (especially about the death by crucifixion and about the resurrection, etc.). The teacher explains to the students that although Jesus is a historical figure (a Roman historian Tacitus mentions him), the most important sources about his existence are the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, whose stories are difficult to verify.
Continuing the discussion, the teacher asks the students about how Jesus managed to find imitators. What was his message, that made people follow him and remain faithful to his words after his death? He also asks the students about the most important commandment according to Christ – „Love your neighbor as yourself”. What does it mean and why was it so revolutionary and extraordinary? Asking the questions, the teacher remembers that they are to be formulated as the key questions. Students perform ** Exercise 1 **, pointing out true sentences. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.
The teacher continues the discussion, pointing out that the first Christians were Jews, and that their community was small. The development and expansion of the new faith happened due to Paul the Apostle (his Jewish name was Saul of Tarsus). The teacher describes him closer, stressing that many Church history researchers believe that if it were not for his charisma and organizational skills, Christianity would never have spread to such large areas. Then the teacher explains how it happened and talks about the directions of religious expansion. Students get acquainted with the map and perform ** Exercise 2 **. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.
The teacher explains the development of Christianity in the first centuries and explains the symbols used by them – wine, bread, fish. Then, explaining the importance of martyrdom in the Christian religion, he goes on to discuss the persecution of the followers of Jesus in the Roman Empire. He remembers the official persecution and pogroms on the orders of emperor Neron (1st century) and Diocletian (3rd and 4th century) and the ways of repression: crucifixion, torture, condemnation to death by being devoured by wild animals in amphitheater arenas, etc. Students study the interactive illustration -- „Nero's torches” „(** Task 1 **).
Then the teacher talks about the road from the officially repressed religion to the prevailing one. He discusses the significance of the Edict of Milan of 313 and the decision of Emperor Theodosius I, who recognized Christianity as the dominant religion in 392. Students organize events chronologically in Exercise 3 **. The teacher makes sure that the task has been correctly completed and gives feedback.
Summary
Students carry out ** Task 2 **. And then they think about how a new religion could have reached such vast areas in such a short time.
The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.
Homework
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: In Polish literature, one novel about the first Christians and their persecution by Romans is considered the one of the most important. Find out what its title is, who the author is and what its about.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Politeizm – wiara w wielu bogów, którzy zajmują się odrębnymi sferami życia.
Monoteizm – wiara w jednego Boga, wykluczająca istnienie innych bóstw.
Palestyna – kraina geograficzna w zachodniej Azji, kolebka judaizmu i chrześcijaństwa.
Judaizm – religia monoteistyczna, wiara w jednego Boga Jahwe, wyznawana przez Żydów.
Faryzeusze – nazywani również uczonymi w piśmie, grupa wyznawców judaizmu uznająca jako prawo zapisy zawarte w Biblii.
Prefekt – w starożytnym Rzymie wyższy urzędnik reprezentujący władcę i wykonujący część jego obowiązków, np. w prowincji.
Prorok – dosłownie „osoba przemawiająca w czyimś imieniu”, w religiach były to osoby pozostające w kontakcie z Bogiem, który przez nie miał wyrażać swoją wolę i zamierzenia.
Mesjasz – w judaizmie i chrześcijaństwie osoba, zapowiedziana przez Boga i proroków, która ma uwolnić świat od grzechu i śmierci oraz ustanowić królestwo niebieskie.
Apostoł – najbliżsi uczniowie Jezusa Chrystusa wybrani przez niego do głoszenia jego nauk.
Pogrom – zorganizowany i grupowy napad polegający na zniszczeniu, rabunku i przemocy jednej grupy społecznej wobec innej. Jego celem jest zastraszenie, wypędzenie lub wymordowanie przeciwnika.
Texts and recordings
Birth and development of Christianity
The beginning of the largest monotheistic contemporary religion – Christianity is associated with Jesus Christ, who his followers took the be the Messiah – God's anointed one had come to Earth to redeem peoples' sins and bring everlasting peace. His death and resurrection, as described in the New Testament, gave rise to a new religion. Roman and Jewish sources do not give a lot of information about his teachings activities or life. And although Jesus of Nazareth is an historical figure, it is difficult to assess how in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles relationships reflect actual events. The new faith initially gained members only amongst Jews living in Palestine, where Jesus was born and preached. Their centre was Jerusalem and the leaders were his relatives and some of his Apostles. The wider spread of Christianity only began with the conversion of Paul from Tarsus (St Paul) – who had earlier been a persecutor of the followers of Christ. He decided to spread the teachings of Jesus to other places, such as Asia Minor, Greece and Cyprus, even to non‑Jews. Thanks to his apostolic mission many communities were established, mostly in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Thanks to its followers, Christianity spread quickly right across the Empire. In the beginning the Romans could not differentiate the followers of Jesus from the Jews, and treated then in the same way. They were often met with various acts of hatred and hostility. The first large‑scale persecution of Christians took place in AD64 when large areas of Rome were destroyed by fire. In blaming the followers of Jesus for this, Emperor Nero ordered they be persecuted. Various epidemics, wars and state crises in the second and third centuries had a similar outcome. Accused of supporting the enemy and causing other problems, many Christians suffered a Martyr's death.
The growing number of the faithful, and above all their determination and loyalty to their faith, proved to be a force that not even waves of oppression and imperial edicts could destroy. Finally, on the back of the Grand Milanese Edict of 313, issued by Emperor Constantine, Christianity became tolerated, a religion with equal footing to others in existence within the Roman Empire. The Emperor himself, even though he does not profess faith in Jesus, often was seen as the guardian of Christians. In 325 he led a Council where the first principles of the faith were adopted. Finally (in 392) thanks to the Emperor Theodosius the Great, Christianity was recognised as the dominant religion, and all other forms of worship and worship of ancient deities was forbidden.